Cycle symbol in mine, will not change it: Emotional Mulayam Singh

Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was dethroned as the Samajwadi Party chief by his own son Akhilesh Yadav in December, on Wednesday said that he will not form a different party nor change the party’s election symbol ‘cycle’.

In an emotional speech after he arrived from Delhi to Lucknow, Mulayam Singh Yadav addressed the party workers and said: “I had gone to Delhi to save the party from breaking.”

“What else do I have apart from you people,” he added.

“I can understand your concern over the party as it is the result of a lot of hard work,” he said.

Mulayam Singh also said he won’t be forming any new party.

“We are not going to set up any other party nor are we changing our symbol ‘cycle’.”

He said the party’s other faction led by his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had sought a new name, Akhil Bharatiya Samajwadi Party, and a new election symbol, ‘motorcycle’.

“Will you people accept that?” he asked his supporters.

Without taking the name of Ram Gopal Yadav, he blamed him for the rift in the Samajwadi Party.

“A few people want to break the party. They went ahead and met the leaders of the opposition parties. And I have every information of that.

“I won’t allow the party to break,” he added.

Father and son are engaged in an intense tussle for control of the party that Mulayam Singh launched 25 years ago. Akhilesh was of view that he will not allow his uncle Shivpal Yadav and Amar Singh, both close to his father, to influence crucial decisions ahead of state assembly polls.

The Election Commission on January 4 announced the poll dates for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.

Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi had said that the state of Manipur will have a two-phase election and Uttar Pradesh will have a seven-phase election. Counting for all states will be held on 11 March.